PunkBuster is cheat prevention software introduced to Quake III as of the 1.32 Point Release, completely integrated into Quake III so it can be controlled via the console. PunkBuster (PB for short) detects player(s) using known cheats who are trying to connect to the PunkBuster-enabled server and then refuses the cheater's connection. Unfortunately the creators of these cheats continue to update their own cheats to get them to work even with PunkBuster. As a result, the PunkBuster team releases regular updates which are automatically downloaded and applied by PunkBuster-enabled servers whenever a client connects.

PunkBuster is disabled by default which means clients will not connect to a Punkbuster enabled server after initially installing the 1.32 PR. To enable PunkBuster on the client side enter the following command in the console (see the following section on the Quake III console):

/pb_cl_enable

or

/set cl_punkbuster 1

To enable PunkBuster protection for your server should you choose to run a server, enter the following command in the console:

/pb_sv_enable

or

/set sv_punkbuster 1

After enabling PunkBuster it should not be necessary to enable it again. Naturally /pb_cl_disable and /pb_sv_disable will disable PunkBuster client and server side, however this requires a restart of Quake III to take effect.

In order to update punkbuster files you should obtain the PBSETUP.exe utility from evenbalance, the makers of PunkBuster. Once you use pbsetup.exe once successfully you should be able to join pb-enabled servers. If the pb server forces you back to spectator, simply drop the console and enter /pb_webupdate (note that this command does not work with a fresh install of pb � it needs to be updated at least once manually before the pb_webupdate command will work)

Two other very handy commands to help PB run smooth can be entered in the console after PB is enabled:

/pb_sleep 500 /pb_system 1

For more information on PunkBuster variables and how to obtain PBSETUP.EXE, visit www.evenbalance.com